Roberts Cup -
2006
Swifts
win Roberts Cup in Sweden
Roberts Cup - Final
Ledbury
Swifts - 2
Eds FF - 2
After
extra time - Swifts win 3-2 on
penalties
Ledbury Swifts have won the Roberts Cup, their annual
international soccer tournament in Sweden, even though the
team had never played together before. On Monday evening,
well-wishers gathered in Ledbury to welcome the team home
and see the Roberts Cup, won against stiff competition in
Ledbury's twin town of Stromstad. Before flying out, the
Swifts were in the unhappy position of not having enough
players to make up an U16s side. But phone calls and
approaches to players with other sides put the team
together, leaving manager Martin Jeynes wondering how his
new squad would perform against some of the best youth
sides in Scandinavia. As it turned out, the Swifts did not
lose a game, and disposed of the pre-tournament favourites,
the Norwegian team Fredrikstad, by beating them 2-0 in the
semi-finals. In the final, the Swifts proved an English
team could actually win a penalty shoot- out, thanks to the
goalkeeping of James Fortnam, who stopped three penalties
and helped to secure a 3-2 win. The Swifts had been held to
a 2-2 draw against a determined Swedish team, Eds FF.
Swifts secretary Bob Barnes said: "This was a very good
result for the lads. They just got better and better with
every game."
Ledbury
Reporter
Click here for pictures of the
tournament